surviving cancer

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Tag Archive | thankfulness

How do you spell relief? Depending on your situation it could mean anything. I was thinking about that old commercial, “Plop, plop, fizz, fizz, oh what a relief it is…” for Alka Seltzer back in the 60’s. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxjb2UJZ-5I) Often our problems are far from an upset stomach! Relief could come in the form of getting a grade back and finding out that you passed a test. It could be hearing your child’s car pull into the driveway or walking into an air-conditioned home after coming inside from the heat and humidity. Possibly it’s opening a bill and finding out it’s not as high as originally anticipated. It’s almost like you’re holding your breath and don’t realize it until the relief comes and then you can exhale and breathe again.

I realize that for myself, when relief comes in any form, I automatically associate it with thankfulness. I don’t tend to take things for granted. In fact I’m not sure what I take for granted if anything. When I find relief, I see it as being blessed knowing that the results could have been different, and give thanks to God knowing that He is always in control.

Having had cancer once, I think most survivors always wonder if it will happen again. I don’t dwell on it or spend a lot of time thinking about it. I am trying to eat healthier, exercise more and do what I can to prevent it but every once in a while that thought does creep in and I think that’s normal.

I was overdue to have medical tests done due to insurance. Fortunately after many phone calls and paperwork I was able to get funded to have the follow-up tests done. I know that was nothing short of God’s doing. Last month I went and had a diagnostic mammogram and a breast MRI done to make sure that nothing abnormal was going on. You want the tests done but at the same time you don’t because you don’t want to hear that there is a problem. The wait seems forever but once you get the results and hear that all things are NORMAL, there is RELIEF! And along with the relief, is THANKFULNESS to God! I can exhale now!

When God created man, He did so by breathing life into Him. “Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” (Genesis 2:7) When we find relief and can start breathing again, I think it’s appropriate to be thankful to the One who not only gave us life but also the cause for relief.